Preparing for your appointment

If you have signs or symptoms of miscarriage, contact your health care provider right away. Depending on the circumstances, you might need immediate medical care.

Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your health care provider.

What you can do

Before your appointment, you might want to:

Ask about pre-appointment restrictions. In most cases you'll be seen immediately. If that's not the case, ask whether you should restrict your activities while you wait for your appointment.

Find a loved one or friend who can join you for your appointment. Fear and anxiety might make it difficult to focus on what your health care provider says. Take someone along who can help remember all the information.

Write down questions to ask your health care provider. That way, you won't forget anything important that you want to ask, and you can make the most of your time with your health care provider.

Below are some basic questions to ask your health care provider about miscarriage:

What are the treatment options?

What kinds of tests do I need?

Can I continue to do my usual activities?

What signs or symptoms should prompt me to call you or go to the hospital?

Do you know what caused my miscarriage?

What are my chances for a successful future pregnancy?

In addition to the questions you've prepared, don't hesitate to ask other questions during your appointment — especially if you need clarification or you don't understand something.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care provider is likely to ask you a number of questions, too. For example:

When was your last menstrual period?

Were you using any contraceptive methods at the time you likely conceived?

When did you first notice your signs or symptoms?

Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?

Compared with your heaviest days of menstrual flow, is your bleeding more, less or about the same?

Moscrop A. Can sex during pregnancy cause a miscarriage? A concise history of not knowing. British Journal of General Practice. 2012;62:e308. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310038/. Accessed May 15, 2016.

Risk factors for miscarriage from a prevention perspective: A nationwide follow-up study. BJOG: An international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 2014;121:1375. https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/medline/2-s2.0-24548778. Accessed May 15, 2016.

Louis GMB, et al. Lifestyle and pregnancy loss in a cohort of women recruited before conception: The LIFE study. Fertility and Sterility. In press. Accessed May 15, 2016.

Early pregnancy loss. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/-/media/For-Patients/faq090.pdf. Accessed May 15, 2016.

ACOG Practice Bulletin Number 150: Early pregnancy loss. May 2015. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstetetrics and Gynecology. 2015;125:1258.

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